


No Grave Can Hold My Body

by jasontodd1



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne Tries, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Canon Compliant, Dick Grayson is Robin, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Jason Todd is Robin, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Tim Drake Angst, Tim Drake is Joker Jr.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:07:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28783926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasontodd1/pseuds/jasontodd1
Summary: This is a robin reverse au, Tim Drake centric, i suck at summaries but I hope you read it!Tim drake is a normal 13 year old vigilante. He goes through the same stuff every 13 year old vigilante goes through. Kidnapping torture all the fun stuff.
Relationships: Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	No Grave Can Hold My Body

“Mista j he’s awake!”

The woman was way too loud, and how’d she know he was awake he hadn’t opened his eyes yet.

Wait. That wasn’t a voice he recognized,

“Talia?” He hoped it was her, or Maybe Catwoman. Those were the only women he knew.

“Nope! Try again!”

He opened his eyes and tried to force himself up. But he couldn't. It seemed like they chained him to some sort of table. There was a bright light in his eyes like he was at the dentist or something, but he could see the blonde woman just out the corner of his eye.

Her hair and makeup were different. But he could tell it was the woman from the alley.

“You tricked me!” Tim glared and tried to look around to get a better feel for where he was. He was in an old doctors and It was most likely underground seeing as there weren’t any windows that he could see.

But he could see the large metal clips connecting to his metal shackles, while he laid on his metal bed and laughed.

“Oh? This will be good. What are you gonna do shock me? Two-face did that last week.”

He wasn’t sure who this woman was. She was clearly going for a villain's look though. White face paint, with the black domino mask. Red and black catsuit, pretty basic if you asked him.

“Looks like you hit him too hard harls. Seems like he’s forgotten his manners.”

Before Tim could even identify the voice, stabbing pain rippled across his body searing him to his core.

Tim tried his best to filter the pain and endure it without screaming but found himself unable to. His muscles contracted and twitched painfully for what felt like hours before whoever flipped the switch had the idea to turn it off.

Joker walked up to the right side of the table. Tim was stunned to silence. This lady, who he’d never seen before, was now working with joker.

Tim found it hard to keep up the brave act, Joker wasn’t the normal rogue. The man was unpredictable. 

Joker shrugged and walked around the table to the side ‘harls’ was on. He set the remote down on the table, Tim assumed it was the one to control whatever powered the table he was strapped too.

“Four years, four great years it was just me and the bat. I cause as much trouble as I can. He catches me. Round and round the wheel turns till. He gets a sidekick! One who tries to kill me! It’s hopelessly unfair.”

Joker hated sparrow, that was the whole reason Batman forbade him and redbird both from having anything to do with the clown. He was just too dangerous.

“So I came up with a plan something to get even with him. I’d get my own side kick. I’ve tried a few times but they never seem to last. That’s where you come in. You’ll be my sidekick”

“Over my dead body,” Tim couldn’t hold his tongue, if joker thought he would just turn on Batman like that with a few shocks he was dead wrong.

“That could be arranged if you’re too difficult. But I doubt you will be. You’re not as strong as the other one.”

Harley finished up whatever it was she was doing and attached an iv to his arm. The cord snaked up to a bag full of greenish liquid.

“I knew it might take some convincing, but we have all the time in the world.” Joker smiled and Harley flipped the switch on the iv bag and that green liquid started to creep down the iv where it disappeared under his skin. 

Tim didn’t feel anything at first but then the laughter started and he realized what that liquid was. Joker serum, and he didn’t get long to panic because joker turned the electricity back on and he was in too much pain to think.

His screams mixed in with his laughter and somewhere in the background he could hear joker talking but he couldn’t make sense of it through the pain.

He kept his resolve, he wouldn’t be here long. It didn’t matter what joker did to him. 

——- earlier that day.

Tim had been called down for breakfast by one of the maids. Even if it was a Saturday he usually had them wake him up as early as possible. Damian expected him at the manor early so they could get some training in. Today was no different.

So it was a shock to see his parents when he rounded the corner, the two were rarely ever here and usually when they came back. they’d announce it a week in advance.

He walked up to the table and took a seat seeming invisible to his parents as they just continued to talk about their upcoming plans without acknowledging him.

His parents, Janet and Jack drake, were among Gotham’s richest business people, and he was their only son. Their business was important not only to Gotham but to the rest of the country as well. 

Tim finished half his food when he finally gained the courage to speak up. “Mom. Dad. How was your trip to Taiwan?”

His mother, Janet Drake, looked at him with disinterest. As if the very thought of talking to her son was unbearable.  
“We weren’t in Taiwan Timothy, we were in Egypt.”

He took that as his sign to stay quiet, Tim tried his best to tune them out. Listening instead to the tv they had stationed in the other room. 

“Another escape in a long string of breakouts from Arkham. This time it looks to be the joker.” One reporter says.

“There is no sign of activity from any of the escapees so it makes you wonder why they escaped in the first place!”

Tim felt anxious as they wished everyone in Gotham a safe morning. The joker was a big deal, and an escape from him usually led to heavy casualties.

The news outlets all blamed it on Batman’s ‘disappearance’ and Redbird being left to guard the city alone. ‘He just didn’t command the same respect Batman did’ Or so they thought. If only they knew the real Redbird like Tim did. If he had his way Gotham’s biggest threats would be gone for good. 

“Timothy!” His mother’s sharp tone snapped him out of his thoughts and away from the tv and he turned back to her. “Y-yes? S-sorry I was... listening to the tv.”

“I asked you how your classes were going. I assume you still have all A’s yes?”

“We’d have nothing less, we can’t have a simpleton take over the company.” His father interjected while one of the maids took his plate. They were both wrapping up their family Breakfast already.

His father. Jack drake manor as a rock in human form. Grey. Boring, never did anything. But he never failed to remind Tim how important it was that he stayed perfect.

“I am. All A’s. In fact in one of my classes my average is 102! Though it’s not really that hard to-“ 

“Good good,” his father cut him off and his mother rose from the table. ah it’s time to go already. And it didn’t even seem like they heard him anyway.

“We will be leaving this afternoon. Keep up the work Timothy.”

“Right. Well I’ll see you guys when you get back?”

They didn’t respond. Tim didn't expect them too, he finished up his breakfast as quickly as he could and ran up the stairs. If he were being honest with himself. His parents probably didn’t even know he hasn’t gone to school since he started the 7th grade.

So yeah, he didn’t even care that his parents were leaving again. It just meant he could head over to the Wayne's even sooner.

He sprinted down the hall carefully of his parents' expensive looking decorations and ran into his room. He locked the door behind himself just on the off chance his parents felt like saying a final goodbye before they left.

Unlikely. 

He went to his closet pushing past the clothes piled up on the ground and pulled out an all white box with the Wayne emblem on the top. He opened it to reveal his sparrow uniform folded up neatly along with a few throwing knives and other gear.

Today was his last day of training alone with Redbird while Bruce was away on his league business. And once Bruce got back Damian would most likely get out of dodge as quick as he can.

He made a mental checklist going down the line making sure he had everything he needed in the box. Once everything had been triple checked Tim stood up and pulled out one of the burner phones Damian gave him.

‘Hey. Start the timer in 5, I’m on my way.’

He sent the text and shoved everything he needed for the day into a backpack. 

His way downstairs was an easy trip. With his parents on different wings of the house and the maids not giving a damn he slipped out easily. He did leave a note on the freezer but he really doubted either of his parents would be around much longer to care.

With that Tim drake stepped outside his manor and took a deep breath, And started running.

The trip to Wayne's house was around 6 miles from his front door so at most he had 30 minutes to get there to satisfy Damians expectations. Which meant he had to sprint the entire way.

It was hell and he ended up slowing down to a jog a few times so his total time ended up being around 34 minutes. And to top it all off Damian was waiting for him at the front door when he got there. 

“You look like shit drake.”

“So do you,” that was a lie, Damian looked like a Greek sculpture come to life and he knew it. Even now when it was clear the guy had been up all night for probably the past week he still looked like perfection. He was nearly as tall as Batman, but he didn’t have as much muscle. 

Then there was Tim. He was just some scrawny kid, barely even five foot, he was already worn out by just the run over here and doubled over trying to catch his breath. He was stopped when Damian grabbed his arms and held them over his head. 

“This will help you catch your breath. Keep your arms up and follow me.” Tim did as told even if he felt like an idiot doing it.

In his time in the manor Tim found it was run in a completely different way then the drake manor. Everything here looked cared for and alive. 

As they walked down the hallway that led to the old grandfather clock there were plants and vivid landscapes and portraits lining the wall. Whereas in his home all they had were old dull walls.

Even the servants were different. His parents had maids, but they only worked when his parents came back to Gotham. Like. Maids for hire. Tim was old enough now that he didn’t need a nanny so for the most part it was just him there.  
But not at the Wayne’s. Bruce had a butler, named Alfred pennyworth. The best old man Tim had ever met.

Alfred stayed at the manor, at least Tim assumed he did. Since he was always there, and he always made snacks, patched up his bruises and yelled at Damian whenever he got too rough.

By the time they made it to the grandfather clock Tim had caught his breath and let his arms fall to the side. He took a final deep breath as they slipped through the entrance to the cave.

“So what are we doing today, drills, acrobatic training, or Maybe working on a case. I heard the joker escaped-“

“We can’t go after the joker drake. Fathers rules. It’s none of that, we are going to spar, this is going to be our last day to gather and I want to see how much you’ve improved. If any.”

That’s the last thing Tim wanted to do. Damian didn’t know how to hold back in spars, and they always ended up with Tim flat on his back too exhausted to move.

Tim groaned and followed Damian to the training facilities area of the cave. The room had a bench for all of them. The wall behind that bench had their weapons. 

“Are we suiting up for this?”

“Yep, hurry up!” Damian called out. His voice echoing off the ceiling of the cave. He had to hurry. He could hear Damian grabbing his suit and knew he had about a minute before Damian was fully suited up. 

“Hey so. Are you leaving as soon as Bruce gets back. I saw the message from the JL. They’d be wrapping up-,”

“He’s already here.”

“O-oh. Why’s he not here now? Did you two fight again?”

With practiced movements Tim got his sparrow uniform on in under a minute, with just enough time to dodge a well aimed punch to the back of his head.

Looks like he shouldn’t have mentioned Bruce.

He ducked down and grabbed the final piece, his domino mask and pulled a back flip to get out of harm's way.

Tim stuck the mask on and got into a defensive stance. “That punch would have killed me.”

Damian just shrugged. He was in full red bird uniform.

“It could have, probably would have just hurt, but you dodged. it would have been better if you countered and attacked. Like I’ve been showing you.”

Damian was different from any teacher Tim had ever had in his short time as a vigilante. When Damian fought someone there were no rules. Nothing was forbidden and you were encouraged and even rewarded for using your head and coming up with underhanded tactics to win.

But that went both ways, Tim learned that this time when Damian unsheathed a sword. A steel sword that would cut if it hit him. 

“Fuck” 

—

After half an hour the great battle ends in a knockout blow that leaves Tim on the ground, bruised, out of breath and sweaty. A disgusting mess. They had moved from the training landing all together and the fight continued down the platforms all the way to the batmobile at the bottom.

Each landing Damian had somehow pulled a new weapon out from some hiding space and Tim had to react then find his own. Thankfully for Tim, Damian had been using the blunt sides on all his weapons but they were still solid metal that hurt like hell when they swung full force at him.

Where Tim was sprawled out on the floor in a heap of limbs and groaned Damian stood a few feet away breathing a bit heavy with small beads of sweat on his forehead. But was otherwise unbothered.

“Remember drake. Arms above your head it will help your breathing. Open up your ribs.” 

“Gee Damian. I wonder if I even have any ribs left to open after what you did to me.”

“What did I do? Drake I think you failed to see the point of that lesson if you think it’s something I did. You were hit because you didn’t block. Or dodge when you had the chances.”

Damian scoffed and started walking over to Tim. He held some water in one hand and had his other outstretched for Tim to take.

“I could have very easily turned the blade around. Would you like to see how you fare against the sharp end of my blade?”

“I’d rather you not” Tim grabbed his hand. And just before Damian started to lift him up they heard someone clear their throat.

“Well done boys.”

Tim was dropped back down and hit the ground with a small grunt. He stood up himself since Damian was already walking towards his things.

There standing next to the batmobile was Batman. He was wearing the batsuit but had his cowl pulled back off his face.

Maybe they did fight. Bruce had a bit of an apprehensive look on his face when looked over to Damian, but the other just stormed past him and headed back up to the kitchen. 

“Hey Bruce...” Tim smiled nervously. he went to start dusting himself off but as soon as he moved he felt the results of the fight screaming at him not to. So he didn’t.

“Hey Tim. You did well. I caught about half the fight. You’re getting better.”

“Yeah right.” He frowned and crossed his arms. “Damian wiped the floor with me as always.”

“Mm maybe. But you made it harder than last time. Which is what counts” Bruce walked over and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Tim hissed and pushed Bruce’s hand away. “Watch it, I have a bruise there.” He did his best to glare at Bruce but when he looked up Bruce just had a sympathetic smile.

“He didn’t hurt you too bad did he?”

“No I’m fine really. Just a bunch of bruises. Nothing that even broke skin. I just need an ice pack. A big one..” Tim quickly shook his head. The fight that would have started if Damian were still around to have heard Bruce even suggest that.

“How about I give you a lift and you can tell me everything that’s happened since I’ve been gone.”

Tim shrugged then took a few steps. And turned back to Bruce and raised his arms. 

“Actually never mind. Carry me”

Bruce just laughed and put Tim up on his shoulders. Most people Bruce’s age would never have the strength to put a well fed 13 year old on their shoulders. But Bruce was the Batman, Batman could do just about anything. 

“Can you try and catch up to Damian? It’s the only way I can get back at him. The more you’re around the more uncomfortable he is.”

“A-A little brutal don't you think?” Bruce started back up the stairs to the top of the cave.

“No it’s not really enough brutality I think. Now hurry up and go piss off your son.”

Tim snickered and held onto Bruce’s head while the man ran up the stairs. He told Bruce about all the training that he and Damian had been doing and all the things that had been happening in the city. 

He had finished by the time Bruce stopped at the level that the bat computer was on and let Tim down off his shoulders.

“I’ll be stopping here. You’ll have to go the rest of the way by yourself.”

“But you didn’t even get to chase Damian.”

“It was never my intention to chase Damian. Only yours. So I’ll Leave you to it. You’ll have to find some other way to upset him unfortunately.” Bruce sat down at the computer and started pulling up tabs on the big names that escaped Arkham.

“Ugh fine...” Tim turned to go. But paused at the last moment. “Oh. Uh Bruce. Can I go with you tonight? When you go take in those guys.”

Bruce looked up at the screen of names he had and sighed deeply. “No, not this time. Not yet. But you’re getting close. I know damians been pushing you hard so why don’t you take the rest of the week off. Focus on school.”

“Yeah right... don’t try to trick me you’re just giving me time off so I won’t try and help you. But I’ll pretend you’ve tricked me and live in blissful ignorance of the trickery.

Bruce laughed and that made Tim smile.  
“Alright alright. Maybe I want you out of the manor for a while. But I'm serious, take time to rest. You need it.”

Tim nodded and gave Bruce a mock salute and ran up the stairs. “You got it!”

He took off his suit once he got up to the training landing and put it in the back in the box.

He grabbed his phone just to get a quick check of what’s been happening since his fight started.

There was one from his mother’s secretary.

‘I’m texting to inform you that your mother has left for-‘

okay. Okay. Another Text from dad’s secretary. It’s Same as moms. And finally one from Spoiler.

He paused at that one. What could spoiler possibly want.

‘Hey, crow. meet me at that park outside of crime alley after patrol tonight.’

‘What? Tonight? okay yeah I’ll be there. We gotta be careful though Batman’s gonna be out there and you know I’m not allowed out on my own yet.’

He sent the text and walked into the kitchen. Tim wasn’t actually sure who the Spoiler was. He had some ideas of course but nothing concrete. Half the time he barely even remembered that they didn’t know anything about each other.

Spoiler is an upstart vigilante with no affiliations with the family. She did her own thing and was around Tim’s age which made it even cooler. Tim guessed he could call her his best friend.

“Hey Alfred! Hey Demon spawn.” Tim was quick to dodge the towel thrown at him and jumped up to sit on the counter. 

“Alfred did you see that! He tried to assault me.”

“Boys don’t taunt each other. Here master Timothy.” Alfred slid a sandwich across the counter to him. It was full of healthy stuff but somehow Alfred made it taste good.

Alfred looked over at him and gave him a quick once over. As if to gauge how the spar went. Alfred seemed to have come to the conclusion that Tim wasn’t gravely injured, because he continued on making something for Bruce.

“Timothy how has school been going?”

“Er good! I have all A’s in my core classes, and a d in gym.” Damian scoffed and mumbled something under his breath.

“Hey it’s not like I can't keep up with them. It would be weird for me to just come in one day and suddenly be an all star athlete so yeah I have a d.”

Alfred hummed an amused note. “I believe your brother actually just called you a liar. Could it be you're not doing all that well in school?”

Tim glared at the demon standing behind Alfred. Did he know that Tim dropped out. No. The bats didn’t mess with his Tim drake life. Then again this was Damian.

“I can show you my grades right now if you don’t believe me Alfred!” Tim protested. “I’m serious, that's the only class I don’t have an A in.”

“You don’t have to do that. I believe you Tim.” The sincerity in Alfred's voice made Tim regret lying. But it was just a white lie, And he hated school. Bruce, Damian and Alfred would send him straight back to 8th grade if they knew he dropped out.

Alfred left to take Bruce his food leaving Tim with Damian. “So you're leaving?”

Damian nodded and started stuffing his face. Tim frowned and kicked his feet a little. Letting the demon brat know just how much it upset him by pouting. Both he and Bruce were the same. The guilt would eat them alive.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Damian said with a deep sigh. “Stop looking like that and eat. Look. When I get back I’ll take you with me to train at the league. My grandfather would love to meet you.”

“Your grandfather, as in?” Tim shifted closer to Damian and whispered. “Ra’s?”

“The one and only. He’s always watching as creepy as that is,” Damian made a face at the thought. “But he knows of you and is impressed. So you can come next time I go.”

Tim smiled and finished the rest of his food. “See you when you get back then demon.” He heard Damian snort and shoved a plate in the dishwasher then Tim headed upstairs to his room.

It was. Sort of his room. Sort of a guest room. Tim wasn’t sure what to call it really. He stayed here at the manor for weeks at a time when his parents were gone.

Tim’s parents weren’t bad people. More like they just weren’t fit to have a kid. Or really anything that needed to be looked after. His parents liked to travel and they didn’t always travel together, for them doing that with a kid on their hip wasn’t interesting. So they just left him here. He was taken care of, well fed, and he hadn’t died yet so he supposed his parents hadn’t done too bad a job picking the nannies they chose to raise him.

The Wayne’s, Bruce and Damian respectively. Were completely different from his parents. He viewed both of them as family now.

In the eyes of the public the biggest connection would have been two years ago, back when Tim was going to school. His class had a field trip to Wayne tower. And that was about it. 

In reality it was much deeper. Tim had used the field trip as a mask to get into the Wayne tower and see Batman, Bruce Wayne. 

He didn’t want anything from him, he just wanted to tell him he figured it out. And that he had some pointers is all. At the time sparrow seemed to have gone missing. He later learned that Damian had just quit but it changed the way Batman operated and Tim didn’t really like that. Batman wasn’t supposed to permanently disable the thugs he came across. Just beat the hell out of them. 

He slipped away from his group and went around stalking the building. He had found a few interesting things but when he stumbled on Wayne's office he couldn’t help himself. 

He went in and started looking through the Future plans for a new transportation system that littered the desk. He’d be in and out before Bruce Wayne got back. Or maybe the man would come in and Tim would get to reveal everything to him. 

Neither of those options happened. Instead Damian Wayne found him. Tim had been too naive at the time, thinking he’d simply go about the plan in the same way. 

Unfortunately for him Redbird wasn’t Batman. he found himself forcefully pinned to the desk that he’d been searching around in. 

Tim at the time, may have known their identities but he hadn’t known a thing about them. He knew Damian had a sparrow. A kid that tagged along with Batman as a partner and sidekick.

He didn’t know redbird. Damian's new persona, fresh from traumatizing league training. Redbird would do what sparrow and Batman couldn’t. The hard things. 

Like teaching people, including kids lessons when they poke their nose into business they shouldn’t. 

“I know who you are. You’re Redbird. And, and You don’t scare me!” Tim had confessed. He expected a a denial from Damian. 

But It made him laugh. That a child who was clearly shaking in fear yelled he wasn’t scared. Damian was always amused by the strangest thing.

So Damian had him explain himself. when he was done he had brought him back to Bruce.

They had him explain it all again and by the end of it damian decided on the solution to the problem Tim brought up. Batman worked better with a partner and there was no way he’d go back to that role. So he made Tim do it. 

He had threatened him with death if he didn’t. Since he knew their identities he couldn’t be allowed to just walk away. 

It was extreme, and at the time Tim had actually been legitimately worried that Damian would kill him. But soon realized that it was a part of the older boy's jokes. 

He was a sadist fuck. But what could you expect from someone who was raised by talia al ghul.

Of course he could refuse and leave; they'd just keep a close eye on him. But surprising both of them he’d accepted. He’d be the next sparrow and help Batman. 

Bruce had been opposed at first but once Damian started his training he quickly proved himself and Bruce let him stay. The end result was a new family Tim never thought he’d have. 

Damian was honestly the best big brother anyone could ask for. Even if he and Bruce could be ridiculous sometimes. All they did was fight.

But, Batman, Bruce Wayne was sort of another father for him. He wasn’t sure how it happened. Since Bruce seemed to have wanted little to nothing to do with him, But at some point he’d won the caped crusader over. He wasn’t even sure when he’d done it. But he had. An entire party was thrown the day that Bruce formally accepted him as a member of the team.

For now he worked it like a part time job. Tim would come here during his free time when his parents were away. This could be for only a day but could extend up to weeks. It was usually only when his parents were gone long stretches of time that Tim would stay here.

It was a demand from Damian. Who for some reason couldn’t believe he’d be left on his own so much.

To get this far was a miracle, in truth Damian had been the driving force behind him becoming a vigilante. He trained him and saw potential in him that he still wasn’t sure he could live up too.  
He’d just have to take another step, get stronger, get better. He had to live up to everyone’s expectations for him.

For the rest of the afternoon Tim lazed about the manor, Damian had left as soon as he finished alfreds food. He couldn’t bear to be around Bruce too long so Tim understood. Even if he thought it was stupid.

Bruce left to investigate in Gotham which left him alone for the afternoon. Which was all the better from him. He got the manor to himself and mostly spent it down in the caves training against bots.  
Soon enough it was time to bolt. He was technically supposed to be going home. But. He instead put on his suit and grabbed one of the motorcycles.

Batman was dealing with the big guys. Which meant there would be an increase in petty crime in the areas. The scum in Gotham saw how police would be pulled towards the big villains during times of crisis and took advantage.

He could help Bruce in this way.  
As he drove he started texting Steph again. They had been talking throughout the day about their plans but. It would be good to confirm it one more time.

T: (7:37pm) ‘Hey. So I’ll meet you after patrol?’ 

S: (7:45pm) ‘Yeah don’t be late’

S: (8:30pm) ‘Hey ready’

S: (8:45) Yo sparrow

S: (9:00) checked the news ur not with B, soooooo

S: (9:30) I’m calling Batman. 

—

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!


End file.
